CLEMSON — What happened? Chris Hairston can’t figure it out.

All preseason, Clemson’s coaches had said the Tigers’ new offensive line was ready. That they were holding their own against Clemson’s defensive line, considered one of the best in the ACC if not the nation.

Then came Alabama 34, Clemson 10. Getting outgained 419-188, outrushed 239-0. It was humiliating and stunning at the same time.

“It was really shocking that we couldn’t get it rolling, could never get a drive going,” said Hairston, the Tigers’ sophomore left tackle. “It’s really on us five (linemen) to take the game over and get it happening. To have that not happen, it was a shock.”

This week, the Tigers’ line has begun the recovery process, albeit without starting right guard Barry Humphries, who will miss at least 4-6 weeks after undergoing right knee surgery Tuesday.

They know that for a turnaround to happen, they must lead the way.

“As an athlete, that’s what you have to do each week, look forward to the next game and move on from it,” Hairston said. “You face adversity but you’ve still got to push through, bury that, put that behind you. Take the good from it and become a better unit.”

Few expected perfection right away — after all, junior center Thomas Austin was the only full-time returning starter from 2007. But a better-than-expected Alabama defensive line led by 365-pound nose tackle Terrance Cody neutralized Clemson’s offense and made it one-dimensional.

And the Tigers’ line didn’t help matters with its own sloppy effort.

“You go back and look at the tape, it’s one guy here, another guy over here, missed assignments, a guy got beat on a pass protection,” offensive line coach Brad Scott said. “Five guys have got to do it together. One guy makes a mistake, you get zero gain. There were a few plays out there where we had it blocked pretty good, maybe just to let one guy in on a breakdown here and there.”

That’s unacceptable, Hairston said.

“Every play, you’ve got to have all 11 guys on the field doing their job, doing the same thing,” he said. “One guy breaks down, and that would result in a negative play. Things happened that weren’t together with the timing off the play.

“We were missing steps, blocks, guys getting pushed back. You can’t run an offense like that. Everybody’s got to be on point to make those gains and run our offense.”

Scott said the effort was typical of a line playing its first game together, especially against a difficult foe like Alabama.

“That’s a tough draw for the first game,” he said. “You’d have liked to break them in a little bit, against schools with hyphens in their names, and we didn’t get that.”

This week could mark an even bigger youth movement. Redshirt freshman Mason Cloy moves into the starting lineup as Humphries’ replacement, and redshirt freshman guard David Smith is expected to start over left guard Jamarcus Grant, according to Scott. Smith said Wednesday he's getting "about 95 percent" of first-team reps. In addition, true freshman tackle Antoine McClain will likely see his first game action.

“I think things are going to have to change with the performance that we had,” Hairston said. “We’ll look into different mix-ups (on the field). It’s up to coach Scott. He’ll do some experimenting and put the best five guys on the field.”

Regardless of who steps onto the field against The Citadel, Hairston knows there is plenty of room for improvement.

“Sunday morning coaches may put their stamp on our offensive line,” he said, “but we know what our line can be and what our line can do.”

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